Packing container for articles susceptible to shock



H. L. NAIMER Sept. 25, 1962 PACKiNG CONTAINER FOR ARTICLES SUSCEPTIBLE TO SHOCK Filed July 16, 1957 IN V EN TOR. I 7 P LA/WMF BY KW k elve-y' United States Patent 3,055,495 PACKING CONTAINER FOR ARTICLES SUSCEPTIBLE T0 SHOCK Hubert L. Naimer, Schumanngasse 35, Vienna, Austria Filed July 16, 1957, Ser. No. 672,162 Claims priority, application Austria, July 28, 1956 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention provides a particularly useful packing container for articles susceptible to shock, particularly for small electrical devices. It is often necessary to provide a seaworthy packing for products of this kind in order to protect them against deterioration by the corrosive marine atmosphere. In the case of articles susceptible to shock a package is employed which is fairly expensive and in spite of the greatest care, is not reliably air-tight unless packing boxes having a soldered metal lining are employed, which are very expensive.

For particularly sensitive product, e.g. fragile articles, a yielding support or elastic suspension is employed and no importance is attached to an air-tight seal of the article.

The present invention relates to a packing container for articles susceptible to shock, particularly for small electrical devices, which container consists of at least two parts which can be assembled like a box and have walls spaced on all sides from the packed article, which is supported on said walls by means of spacers, and resides in that the walls of the container consist of deformable air-retaining material, preferably of thin-walled thermoplastics, and the parts of the box complement to form an air-retaining container, by which any shocks occurring are absorbed as by a ball. In this way a packing is provided, which is shock-proof and air-retaining, as well as very inexpensive. The ball principle perrnits of designing the halves of the box with very thin walls because the tensile strength rather than the rigidity of the material is important. This is a decisive progress over all previously disclosed packing containers, all of which employ a fairly rigid envelope. This rigidity is not necessary in the present case because deformations are limited to an extent which is determined by the compressibility of the filling air. The packing unit is intended to deform to that extent because this ensures the shock-absorbing effect of the box. Any deformation is entirely or almost entirely eliminated by the re-expanding filling air. For this reason the present package can be used many times.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings an illust-rative embodiment of the boxlike packing container according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1 in an axial sectional view and in FIG. 2 in a top plan view of one of the two box parts. FIG. 3 shows a modification in a view similar to FIG. 1. The article to be packed is represented here by a small electric switch but it is understood that this switch is only an example of an article which has a substantial weight and is susceptible to shock.

The switch consists of several switch units 1, which are threaded on the switch shaft 2, which protrudes at one end out of the switch. The switch units are held together by screws 3. The container consists of two parts 4, 5, which fit together like the parts of a box and which have extensions 6, whereby the switch is centered on all sides from the wall of the parts 4, 5. As is shown in the drawing these extensions or spacers 6 may take the form of ribs or may consist of feet, pins or the like. They must only support the article to be packed so that any movements thereof relative to the container wall or precluded.

The parts 4, can be pushed into tight engagement,

like the cover of a box. A perfect seal can be obtained if the joint 7 is taped with self-sealing tape or the like.

The casting 4, 5 should suitably be sufficiently thin to be deformable. When such a package falls on the ground it will deform and compress the enclosed air. If the container is properly dimensioned and made of appropriate material the shock will not be transmitted to the packed article. In this case a certain flexibility of the ribs 6 may be suitable.

It is apparent that the idea of cushioning shocks does not require a perfectly airtight seal of the container because the suddenly compressed air could not escape through any leaks which may be present. For this reason the invention includes also a package which consists of material that is not as air-impermeable as plastics. An example of such a material of restricted air-impermeability would be pressed cardboard.

Thermoplastic containers may be made at low cost by injectionor vacuum-molding.

FIG. 3 shows that instead of being taped, the joint 7 could be heat-sealed, e.g., by providing flanges 8 on each of the container parts 4, 5. An additional supporting ring 9, e.g., in the form of a star, for an additional centering of the packed article, may be inserted between these flanges.

On principle it will be endeavored to use as few supporting elements as possible in order to keep any shocks coming from the outside in the highest possible degree from the article.

I claim:

1. A packing container completely enclosing and adapted to protect an article of substantial weight against shock, comprising two complementary container portions having substantially air-tight, thin and resilient walls jointly defining a packing chamber filled with air, all the resilient container walls being elastically and infrangibly movable inward of said packing chamber upon impact and outward of said packing chamber under pressure exerted against the walls in said chamber, inward movement of said walls causing compression of the air in the packing chamber, individual spacers in the air-filled packing chamber, the spacers being integral with and between all the walls and the article to be packed, said spacers being sufliciently rigid to support the article in spaced relationship from and against any movement relative to all the walls, and means for sealing the container portions to form a substantially air-tight container whose deformable walls absorb any shock like a ball.

2. A packing container completely enclosing and adapted to protect an article of substantial weight against shock, comprising two complementary container portions having substantially air-tight thin and resilient walls jointly defining a packing chamber filled with air, all the resilient container walls being elastically and infrangibly movable inward of said packing chamber upon impact, and outward of said packing chamber under pressures exerted against the walls in said chamber, inward movement of said walls causing compression of the air in the packing chamber, individual spacers in the air-filled packing chamber between all the walls and the article to be packed, said spacers being sufficiently rigid to support the article in spaced relationship from and against any movement relative to all the Walls; and means for sealing the container portions to form a substantially air-tight container whose deformable wall absorb any shock like a ball.

3. The packing container of claim 2, wherein the container portions are of thermoplastic synthetic resin.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Young Aug. 8, 1933 Reeves Sept. 12, 1933 Kraft Apr. 7, 1936 Cohen June 15, 1954 Densen Dec. 7, 1954 Polglase Aug, 16, 1955 4 P1111011 Dec. 20, 1955 Van Ness Feb. 7, 1956 Haskins Sept. 11, 1956 Linwood Mar. 12, 1957 Boeye May 7, 1957 Fischer Oct. 29, 1957 Tupper Dec. 3, 1957 Smithers Nov. 18, 1958 

